GST, demonetisation caused some trouble, but did not shake people's faith in PM: Harsh Vardhan
New Delhi, May 2: Admitting that demonetisation and the implementation of GST by the government had caused "some disturbances", Union minister and BJP candidate from traders' hub Chandni Chowk Harsh Vardhan has asserted that the moves have not shaken the people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision.
In an interview to PTI, Vardhan said these "bold steps" of the government were appreciated by people and the criticism was "politically motivated".
"When demonetisation was done, certainly it was a very hard, historic reform and a bold decision on the part of the government and of course, our PM Narendra Modiji. You saw the whole country stood in queues outside banks but not even a single person was unhappy because people had faith in the vision of the PM and his intentions.
"Although, for a small period of time, people had some small disturbances in handling cash and going to the banks for changing it. Now everyone has realised that the PM had very pious intentions. Nobody has criticised it," the Union minister of science and technology said.
Asked about the discomfort caused to businessmen and traders due to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he described the new tax regime as the "biggest reform", which was amended from time to time on the basis of inputs given by traders.
"GST was a major and the biggest reform. The prime minister does everything that benefits people even though, for some time, people may not like it. But after having introduced the GST reforms, he was so receptive and pragmatic in his approach that he took inputs from traders from all sections of the society, their wise suggestions were incorporated and the GST Act was amended 100-200 times," Vardhan said.
Stating that the criticism of demonetisation and GST was politically motivated, he took a dig at the opposition parties, saying they had run out of issues.
"People in India, Delhi and in my own constituency realise that the PM has very very pure intentions and he is trying to bring about a major change in the country. He is trying to bring about reforms in the thinking of people, whereby truthfulness and honesty in business start prevailing. People have started changing to the newer reform strategy. This (GST) is no longer an issue.
"These issues are being raised because the opposition is devoid of issues. Even if there is some criticism in some quarters, it is all politically motivated," the 64-year-old MP from Chandni Chowk said, adding that he had faith in the traders.
"I have full faith in the commitment of the traders. People have so much enthusiasm and commitment for the prime minister, because everybody in this country whether a trader, a poor man, a student or a scientist, doctor, farmer or labourer realises that the PM has an extraordinary ability and vision," Vardhan said.
Vardhan had been a four-time MLA from east Delhi's Krishna Nagar Assembly constituency. He had joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1993.
In the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Vardhan is pitted against the Congress's Jai Prakash Agarwal and the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Pankaj Gupta in the Chandni Chowk constituency.
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ISRO launches Mission MITRA for safety of human spaceflight mission crew
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO on Friday said it has undertaken mission MITRA in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh, from April 2 to 9, a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study for the benefit of human spaceflight missions such as Gaganyaan.
The mission, inaugurated by the ISRO chairman V Narayanan, was mainly for the crew safety and performance.
"Mission MITRA is a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study designed by ISRO and IAF-Institute of Aerospace Medicine to examine the physiological, psychological, and operational dynamics of Crew and ground teams functioning in a high-altitude environment," ISRO said in a statement.
This study is targeted to generate vital understanding on the team interoperability between crew (Gaganyatris) and ground control teams and the effectiveness of decision making under environmental & operational stress, the space agency said.
Noting that the crew safety and performance are the most critical elements of all Human Spaceflight Missions, ISRO said the ability of the crew to communicate effectively, adapt to stress, maintain psychological resilience and support one another determines the success and safety of any mission.
Analogue missions conducted under controlled yet realistic conditions are utilised to understand how crews perform under challenging conditions, it added.
The space agency said the high altitude of approximately 3,500 meters at Leh having the environmental conditions of hypoxia, low temperature, and isolation, is a natural analogue for spaceflight operations.
